


Forever Unfaithful

by Drachis917



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Original Character(s), Original Story - Freeform, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, Warning: Parental abuse/neglect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-08-26 17:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16686247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drachis917/pseuds/Drachis917
Summary: A young demon, born with incredible power, must face the evil of his family and stay strong through the trials that await him.





	1. f[A]te of the strong

"...and then he had his head chopped off and eaten!" Gray's brother Viral said, describing the scene he was playing out.

"Eaten? Really?" Gray asked, "Why do all your stories end with someone getting brutally murdered?" 

"Because that's the best way to end," Viral responded, "When the nice person dies, there is no chance of them winning, and we can destroy everything without competition!" 

Gray was quiet for a moment before coming up with an idea, "If he really did loose his head, why don't you show it?" 

Viral wrapped his tentacle-like arms around the toy's head and pulled, trying to separate it from the body. Eventually, it popped of, and Viral looked very pleased with himself before realizing what his older brother wanted. "Ew, you want me to eat it too, don't you? Well, to bad. I'm not eating plastic." 

"Aw, you caught me," Gray laughed, a little dissapointed that his trick didn't work. Viral gave him an angry look, before cracking up in laughter himself. Their laughter died, however, when their father came into the room. 

"Da- Dr. Zlotir," Gray said, scrambling to his feet. Their father only came to them directly when something was serious. "What's going on?" 

"I have received a message from the queen," Dr. Zlotir said, "Come with me; I need to inspect you both." 

The brothers glanced at each other, worried about what would be happening. The queen was notoriously cruel, and an inspection meant that she wanted someone to use for her own personal enjoyment. No one knew exactly what she wanted, but the last time she wanted someone, he was never seen again, inside or outside the palace. When they got to a private room, Gray automatically started lifting his shirt, but stopped when Zlotir shook his head. 

"Nothing physical this time," Zlotir said, "I need to see your souls." He lifted his hand in front of Viral, and a glowing sphere - his soul - became visible above his chest. It glowed a deep red and was covered by a hard outer shell. All demons had that shell around their soul; supposedly, it prevented empathy to protect from emotional damage. Zlotir grunted, apparently satisfied, before moving to Gray. When he revealed Gray's soul, all of them gasped.

His lilac soul was almost completely exposed, save for a few remaining bits of shell. "W-what?" Gray said, shocked, "Why does my soul look like that?" 

"Power," Zlotir answered, "Your soul is overflowing with energy, cracking the shell. The queen wants someone like you to use as an ultimate weapon." 

"A weapon?" Gray asked, "Am I the only option? Shouldn't someone older and more experienced go to her instead of me?"

"Possibly," Zlotir responded, "Only if someone like that is found. To my knowledge, you are the most suitable candidate. We will wait a day, before handing you in." 

Gray shuddered at his father's choice of words, but nodded, accepting his fate. 

"Does this mean I won't be able to see Gray again?" Viral asked.

"I'm afraid so," Zlotir responded, "Although this could benefit your studies. Removing an extra distraction could help you focus on increasing your potential." 

Although he tried to hide it, Gray grew angry at his father's view of them as resources to increase his power or status. He could not voice his anger, however, due to Zlotir's dominance over the two of them. Staying silent, Gray prepared himself for whatever could be in store for his future. 


	2. stand [B]efore the queen

A day had already passed before Gray could truly come to grips with his situation. The queen's demand still held, so his father took him to the palace early that morning. Knowing Zlotir would never let his valuable merchandise - him - get lost, he felt he could take time to examine the castle corridors. Despite the immense size of the castle, the air was nearly clogged with dust, and every room looked barely used. There were rumors that the queen never left her throne except to fight, and the state of the castle gave an air of truth to them. 

Before long, they arrived in the throne room. The queen relaxed on her throne, and two others, presumably guards, stood at either side of her. One was a type-human, like Gray, and the other was a type-creature, like Viral. A notable difference, however, was that the type-c guard was mammalian, while Viral was more kraken-like.

At the sound of their footsteps, the queen sat up, examining Gray and his father. She was tall and slim, with red hair cropped short and skeletal wings sprouting from under a blood-colored cape. She exuded a nearly tangible aura of power, and when she narrowed her eyes, the energy intensified so much it forced Gray to his knees. Zlotir knelt as well, far more elegantly than his son. 

"Your majesty," Zlotir said, "I have come to offer my son for your use."

The queen smirked. "I didn't expect anyone to come so soon," she said, "Were you so eager to get rid of him? I understand how that feels. One of my sons is worthless in combat, and the other traded all his brain power for muscle." The type-h guard flinched at this remark, and Gray guessed he was the first son the queen was referring to. 

"I was eager, though not to get rid of my son," Zlotir responded, "We exist only to serve you, and we were enthusiastic to assist you in any way possible." 

Laughing, the queen stood and approached the two of them. "Stand up," she ordered, and a combination of her energy and terror compelled Gray to obey. She grabbed his chin and pulled him closer, examining him. After a moment, she let go, satisfied, and asked, "What powers do you have?" 

Too scared to speak, Gray decided to simply demonstrate. _Please work, please work,_ he thought as he concentrated. After a few seconds, energy started to coalesce around his hands and solidify, forming a semi-transparent sword. 

"Aura constructs," she interpreted, "Fascinating. Have you discovered your secondary ability yet?" She looked dissapointed as Gray shook his head, and turned to Zlotir.

"He can talk, right?" She asked.

"Yes, although he's probably too frightened at the moment," Zlotir responded. 

"I do have that effect on people," the queen said, "A pity, though. It would have been a pleasant change to have a servant who couldn't talk back or ask questions." She turned two the guards, her sons, and snapped her fingers. "Don, could you escort this young man to his room while I talk with the boy's father?" 

The type-h man nodded and extended his hand to Gray. Up close, Gray noticed that his eyes were pure red and pupil-less. Unnerved by the man's stare, Gray took his hand, unsure what would happen if he refused. They walked down a corridor in a silence that felt uncomfortable for both of them.

Eventually, Gray spoke, "She said your name was Don, right?"

Surprised at his voice, Don responded, "Yes. And you are...?"

'"Gray."

"I see," The two of them were silent for a moment, then Don said, "I'm really sorry for this. You don't deserve to be here."

Gray didn't expect to hear something so caring from another demon, much less the queen's son. "What do you mean?"

"Wyveyal - the queen will likely want to strengthen your power through grueling trials. She believes in learning through experience, and doesn't appreciate when her subjects don't fight, regardless of whether they can or not."

Gray remembered the queen's comment from before, and was overcome by a strange feeling. He tried to place it, but before he could come to a conclusion, they arrived at their destination. 

"Apologies again," Don said, "There aren't many livable rooms in the palace, so you're going to have a roommate for a few days. There was actually one more no-shell before you, but he was... unpredictable. I've made sure to put a barrier between you and him, but even so, be careful." 

Unnerved by that last remark, Gray slowly entered the room where he would presumably be living for the remainder of his new life, unsure what to expect. As soon as he cleared the doorway, a voice came from the opposite corner. 

"Ooh, a new face!" the voice said, "Welcome to hell, stranger."


	3. [C]oliseum of pain

As the door closed behind him, Gray looked around nervously, trying to pinpoint the location of the voice. It came from a strange-looking young man in the opposite corner of the room, separated by what looked like a glass wall, but would undoubtedly be stronger. Gray examined the man; he had gray skin and white hair, and one of his blue eyes was covered by a still-bloody bandage. As he stared, the man stood and bowed. 

"I hope you enjoy your stay here if possible," he said, "It most definitely won't be pleasant, but hopefully you'll get better treatment than me. Anyway, I do believe introductions are in order. My name is Zirim." He looked up, expecting an answer. 

"I'm Gray," he said, looking at Zirim's wounded eye, "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, the eye," Zirim noticed, "Yeah, I'm fine, if you're only asking physically. That brakk of a queen put a spell on me that numbs my entire body. It's a twisted and sadistic form of relief, but relief nonetheless. Next you're probably going to ask if I'm dangerous, and I'm not. She also put a mind leash on me, so I can't even want to break out of here." 

Gray nodded, taking in this new information. Even if he tried to leave, the queen has ways of making him stay. 

"Anyway," Zirim said, interrupting his thoughts, "With the whole 'kidnapped and forced to be a weapon' thing, you probably haven't gotten much sleep. Now is probably the safest you'll be for a while, so you should probably try to rest." 

"O-okay," Gray said, still a little shell-shocked from the speed of everything that had happened. He noticed a large cushion resembling a bed and flopped down, closing his eyes and trying to sleep. He fell asleep a moment later. 

~~~~~~~

"Kid! Gray! You have to wake up! She's coming, probably for you!" 

Gray startled awake, his vision fuzzy, to the sound of yelling. "Zirim?" he asked, still trying to wake up, "What's going on?" 

"The queen's coming," Zirim said, panicked, "Get it together!" 

 Fully awake now, Gray jumped up and tried to make himself presentable before the door opened. The queen stepped inside, sword by her side, looking far more intimidating up close than on her throne. 

"So, boy," she said, grinning, "Why don't you come with me so we can test your abilities?" Her wine-stained teeth gave her the appearance of a predator that had just finished off its prey. 

"Leave him alone, you brakk!" Zirim yelled, "He's not even an adult yet! He can't be treated as a weapon!" 

"Quiet," the queen said, and snapped her fingers. Zirim's mouth snapped shut and his body went rigid. He grunted in pain and glared daggers at her, but was unable to do anything else. "Now," the queen continued, "Follow me if you don't want to end up like him." 

Gray looked back at Zirim as the queen turned her back. There was sadness in his gaze, something Gray didn't understand. Why would he feel sorrow for someone he just met? For that matter, why did Gray feel the same? The door closed, and Gray was forced to look away and follow the queen. 

"Your father told me that your power is fairly weak due to lack of practice," the queen said, "Is that true?"  

"Yes, it is true, your majesty," Gray responded.

"He finally speaks!" she exclaimed, "I expected your voice to be deeper, more intimidating. Oh well, you can't have everything. Also, please refer to me as Wyveyal. The whole 'your majesty' thing gets tiring when you've been queen as long as I have."

"Okay, yo- Wyveyal," Gray stuttered. 

"As for the weak magic," Wyveyal said, "you'll be getting a lot of practice in, so it shouldn't be a problem for long."

They ended up in a large room, big enough to hold thousands of demons. There were large doors at intervals along the high, circular walls. Gray eyed these warily as Wyveyal led him into the center of the room. 

"Welcome," Wyveyal announced, spreading her arms dramatically, "to my coliseum!" As she spoke, the doors opened simultaneously, and large beasts stampeded out of each of them. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't die," Wyveyal said, flying out of the arena and onto the walls. 

Terrified, Gray activated his magic to form a sword in each hand as he lunged out of the way of a scythe-tusked boar. He slashed at the side of another, barely dodging impalement. Focusing on avoiding injury and striking back if he could, Gray quickly ran out of energy and found himself backed into a corner. A much larger boar snorted and scraped its hoof on the ground, preparing to charge. Other beasts were closing in from the side, and Gray saw no way out. 

Suddenly, it felt like something inside Gray clicked into place. He felt a curious energy in his soul, waiting to be used. With this new power, his updated instincts told him to jump, so he tapped into his new power and leaped. To his surprise, the leap sent him skyward much higher than physically possible. Unfortunately, it also sent him above the coliseum walls and Wyveyal had to grab him to stop him from flying out of the arena entirely. 

"Impressive," she said, "It seems you have gravity powers. I'm surprised you found your secondary this quickly. Normally it takes several days of beatings for it to manifest." 

Gray just nodded, adrenaline and fear still running through his body. 

"I guess we're done for today," Wyveyal said, interpreting his silence, "We'll continue tomorrow." 

Gray nodded again as Wyveyal took him down to the entrance. He could tell he wouldn't be able to last very long if this kept happening. His nerves calmed as he walked back to his room. When he entered, he caught a relieved look on Zirim's face before collapsing on the floor. Gray was vaguely aware of Wyveyal roughly carrying him to the bed before everything went dark. 


	4. fa[D]ing will

The next several weeks were a blur. Gray would fight until he was close to collapsing from his wounds, recover, go back into the arena, repeat cycle. Zirim would offer support, but was incapable of doing much else. He and Wyveyal were the only living things Gray saw that weren't actively trying to kill him. The only thing of note that happened was when Zirim's execution date arrived. 

"Are you ready to die, Zirim?" Wyveyal asked as she walked into the room.

"Not really," Zirim responded, "I'd much rather just leave the planet." 

"Unfortunately, that is not an option," Wyveyal said, "My subjects are getting bloodthirsty, and I want to give them a good show." 

Zirim made a noncommittal noise and turned to Gray. "I know this is hard, but keep at it, kid. I know you can survive, and hopefully stay sane. " His voice lowered to a whisper so only Gray could hear, "I don't plan on dying, so I hope to see you again sometime." 

The queen grew impatient and ordered Zirim to follow her. His entire body went stiff and he left, his movements seeming rigid and mechanical. Gray could see him straining against the order, but he only managed to turn his head and give Gray one last supportive glance. 

Gray didn't sleep at all that night. 

~~~~~~~

Many days later, Gray awoke from a nightmare, his head pounding. What had he been doing yesterday? There had been more and more patches in his memory lately, and he was worried it was something serious. Before he could give any more thought to his latest problem, Wyveyal entered, ready to watch him suffer again. No words were exchanged, only a resentful glare from Gray, and they left for the arena. 

The battle began, and Gray quickly sidestepped a giant antlion bursting from the ground. The queen hadn't bothered to use the doors lately, so he had to be ready at all times. He quickly formed a sword and sliced one of the insect's mandibles off, smacking it with his sword to collide with an oncoming boar. Using his gravity powers, he attached himself to the arena wall to avoid any grounded threats. Running sideways still made him feel a bit dizzy, but he was adjusting. A massive falcon swooped at him, and Gray leaped onto its back to avoid its claws and beak. The bird flailed, trying to dislodge Gray from its back. In response, gray struck its head with the flat of his blade to send it crashing down. Focusing on slowing his descent, Gray was blindsided by a jungle cat and fell, his leg bloodied. 

"Come on," Wyveyal yelled from the sidelines, "I know you have the potential to do some real damage. Stop holding back! You're going to kill people for me anyway, so you might as well start practicing with these."

 _I just want to survive,_ Gray thought, _Aside from trying to kill me, these creatures are innocent. Violence in in their nature, but I don't think it's in mine._

He rolled away from the cat, cutting it's paw and causing it to yowl in pain. Gray flinched from the noise and staggered to his feet. He clung to the wall and clambered up, hoping to avoid any more attacks, but the beasts had seen this trick before. The boar snorted and rammed the arena wall, causing it to tremor and shake. Gray lost his grip and fell to the ground, screaming in pain as he collided with the hard ground. He looked up at Wyveyal perched on the wall, a look of dissapointment in her face. 

 _She's going to let me die,_ Gray thought, _She's seen how terrible I am at fighting and is willing to let an asset go_. He stood shakily, his body protesting movement and his vision fuzzy. He had to try and survive. 

As his vision started to go dark, a voice echoed in his mind, _I can't die yet. I WON'T die yet. I'll show you what I can really do, and no one will be able to stop me!_


	5. str[E]ngth to fight

Gray let out an animalistic roar and formed giant claws with his aura, the normal purple color now tinged with red. He brought his claws down on the cat, slashing through its flesh as easily as cutting butter. Ignoring the pain in his leg, he ran forward and lashed out at the other beasts around him. The beasts seemed confused; their prey had never fought back like this before, so they were unprepared for Gray's sudden attack. He fought like a cornered animal with nothing to lose. By the time they had recovered enough to strike back, their numbers had already been halved.

As the beasts charged him, Gray leaped high into the air and tried increasing his gravity. His decent quickened, and he landed on a boar with crushing force. The impact badly hurt his injured leg, but the boar was far worse off. Gray reformed his claws and attacked the remaining beasts. He continued his strategy; leap, crush, attack, repeat as many times as he had to. 

The battle was over shortly after, but Gray, adrenaline and rage still running through his blood, lashed out at he only other being there: Wyveyal. She was somewhat surprised by his sudden assault, but dodged his attack and punched him squarely in the face. 

"Impressive," Wyveyal said, "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Vek you," Gray said, rubbing his face where she hit him, "I won't be your pawn."

"What language," Wyveyal said, "I bet you learned that one from Zirim, didn't you?"

Gray looked confused for a moment before responding, "My father enjoys profanity when he thinks I'm not watching." 

"Interesting," Wyveyal pondered, "Anyway, You'd better get that leg fixed if I want you to keep practicing. Let's head out." 

Wyveyal strutted out of the arena, and Gray limped behind her, thinking of several different ways to creatively kill her. She was the only person he knew in this castle, and was easily the worst person he'd ever met. Something tugged at the back of his mind, like a memory trying to surface, but he shrugged it off. Survival was the only thing that mattered in this world, and he wasn't planning on failing that anytime soon. 

When they arrived at his room, Wyveyal leaned in and whispered, "You'll regret trying to attack me back there."

Gray sneered and said, "I probably won't," _If I even remember,_ He thought, _I have to figure out these blank spaces in my memory. My mind should be just as strong as my body if I'm going to protect us._

Gray paused, _Us? Why did I think that?_  

Putting aside the question, Gray sat down on his bed and worked on creating a makeshift splint from his aura. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy NaNo month! Here's an original story I've been creating in the back of my mind for quite a while. Quick warning: I've kind of turned the main character into a vent character, so be prepared for some pain and tragedy.


End file.
